Friday, June 10, 2011
Blog changes
I have made a few changes to my blog. It is easier to post comments now. Thank you Lynette for letting me know how difficult it had been to post comments! :). Hopefully, it is all better now. I am definately not technically savvy!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Pastor Don Smith has been teaching us about learning to be human beings instead of human doings. In other words, allowing God to reign and rule in our lives by demonstrating His love through us and interacting through us with His creation. It is receiving His grace and mercy without living under condemnation and feeling as if we need to do something for God in order to receive His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We need to “be” so that He can “do”.
It often gets muddled up in my mind what it means, practically speaking, to be a human being instead of a human doing. Does that mean I do nothing? How much should I do or not do? Am I doing too much? Am I doing too little? And if God’s grace and forgiveness are free, then how much responsibility do I have to live a “godly” life? Where is the line between religious rules and godliness? I’ll say it before you do, I think waaaaaaaaay to much! I am thankful that God is a patient Father and always has time to answer the questions of this child!
This morning He spoke to me as I was watering my flowers. If I want my flowers to stay beautiful, then I must be responsible enough to water them, pinch off the dead heads, and care for them. If I choose to not care for my flowers, then they will still be flowers, but they will be dead ones and will not show off the beauty they were created to be. If I want the garden of my life to stay beautiful, then I must be responsible enough to water my life with the Word, pinch off the dead heads of poisonous thoughts, and tear out the choking weeds of sin. This is not to be legalistic nor would it be following any religious rules or regulations. It would be taking responsibility for my life in Christ. My life in Christ is free. He has redeemed me and made me righteous and pure. But I still have the responsibility to line myself up with His life which is in me. If something does not line up with Him, then it is my responsibility to get rid of it. If I choose not to be responsible in my Christian walk, then I will be a dead Christian, my life not showing off the beauty of Christ that it was created to demonstrate.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Prepared and Waiting with Eager Expectation
I was 19 when I got married and I was all about the details. I knew exactly how I wanted our wedding to look, and I spent 8 months making sure it was picture perfect. I had a binder in which I kept copies of paper detailing every minute, each role, position, and job for everyone that was involved in our wedding. I made sure everyone involved recieved a copy. Each paper included what the persons role was, role description, places and times they would need to be aware of. Everything was perfectly planned down to the last minute detail. In modern day lingo, I probably would have been called a bridezilla! I wanted everyone to be well informed and I had made up my mind that I definately wasn't going to have "one of those weddings" where nothing was organized. It was going to be perfect.
I recall, instead of resting in the fact that everything was well planned out down to the crossing of the last "t" and the dotting of the last "i", I was still caught up in all of the details. I did not rest that day. I did not enjoy the day with the excited expectancy of marrying my true love. I was busy making sure the bridesmaids bows were tied just so on their dresses and their hair was done with flowers in. I was sidetracked with the annoyance of realizing the florist had misinturrpreted my vision for the bridal table center piece and for the bridesmaids bouquets. The reception area needed to be decorated also. I don't remember who, but someone finally pulled me away from decorating and said, "you need to get ready!"
I was so wrapped up in the details that I missed out on my own preperation. I missed out on the joy and delight of the day and the great anticipation of seeing my husband-to-be for the first time in 24 hours. I was ready to get married because the details were ready, but my heart and my mind were not prepared.
I tell you all this, becuase I have found myself in a similiar position recently. Not one of marriage, of course, as I am still married to that wonderful man who loved me even in all of my frenzy! I know there is a plan for my life and a calling. But, I often feel ansy and restless. Like a steed chomping at a bit, trembling and ready to take off as soon he hears the word from his master. I often feel discouraged because I can't see anything happening. I cry out to God,"please show me, reveal to me what you are doing. I don't want to miss out on your calling! I don't want to miss out on what you are doing!" I feel anxious and afraid.
Yesterday morning was like that for me. And AGAIN for the umpteenth time I heard God say to me, "Rest." Urg!!! I don't wanna rest! I said, "I am afraid that if I stay still I am going to miss out on the action; on what you are doing!" He said, "if you are running around, YOU ARE going to miss it." As I began getting ready for the day, God brought to my mind another word that He gave to me awhile ago. It was simply, "be ready." He never told me for what, and believe me, I asked! He simply responded to my question with, "just be ready." It made me think about the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. 5 were ready to meet the bridegroom and 5 were not. I asked myself the question- "Am I ready? Am I in the process of preparing myself or am I so caught up in the details of what it is, what it will look like, and if I will miss it that I am forgetting to get prepared?" This is when I started to think about my wedding and the one thing I would have changed - having my heart prepared to meet my love with great excitement and anticipation. I missed out on that, because I was bothered by details that ultimately did not matter.
I don't want to repeat that same mistake again. I want my heart to be ready. I want to be Mary and not Martha. (Luke 10:38-42)
My preperation should not revolve around the why, how, what, who or when. My preperation needs to revolve around Christ. Just as a bride's preperation should revolve around her true love; her bridegroom. I want you to picture this with me:
A beautiful young girl awakens on the day of her wedding. She lights out of bed and skips to the bathroom to shower. She picks out her favorite scented body wash and washes herself, excited to present herself to her love. After her shower, she dries herself off and lotions her body with scented oils and perfumes, hoping that her soon to be husband will be swept away by her beauty. She dresses herself in a beautiful white gown and sits with growing anticipation as her hair is combed, curled and elegantly styled. Her veil is gently put in place by her mother; its softness carressing her cheeks. Everything in place, she carefully steps back and gazes at herself in the full length mirror. Her breath is taken away by the vision she sees. Butterflies dance inside of her. She is giddy and filled with excited anticipation as she waits, prepared with eager expectation to see her one true love!
Just as a bride prepares herself for her bridegroom, so I must also prepare myself for Christ. I must wash myself with the word of God. Renewing my mind daily in His truth. (Romans 12:2, Eph. 5:26-27) I need to clothe myself in the armour of God and with the purity of His righteousness. (Eph. 6:10-18, Rev. 19:7-8) With everything in place, I will step back and gaze at myself through His eyes; my breath taken away by the vision I see. Butterflies dancing inside of me, giddy and filled with excited anticipation as I stand prepared, and waiting with eager expectation!
Romans 8:22-39
vs. 24-25 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
vs. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Isaiah 40:27-31
vs. 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
I recall, instead of resting in the fact that everything was well planned out down to the crossing of the last "t" and the dotting of the last "i", I was still caught up in all of the details. I did not rest that day. I did not enjoy the day with the excited expectancy of marrying my true love. I was busy making sure the bridesmaids bows were tied just so on their dresses and their hair was done with flowers in. I was sidetracked with the annoyance of realizing the florist had misinturrpreted my vision for the bridal table center piece and for the bridesmaids bouquets. The reception area needed to be decorated also. I don't remember who, but someone finally pulled me away from decorating and said, "you need to get ready!"
I was so wrapped up in the details that I missed out on my own preperation. I missed out on the joy and delight of the day and the great anticipation of seeing my husband-to-be for the first time in 24 hours. I was ready to get married because the details were ready, but my heart and my mind were not prepared.
I tell you all this, becuase I have found myself in a similiar position recently. Not one of marriage, of course, as I am still married to that wonderful man who loved me even in all of my frenzy! I know there is a plan for my life and a calling. But, I often feel ansy and restless. Like a steed chomping at a bit, trembling and ready to take off as soon he hears the word from his master. I often feel discouraged because I can't see anything happening. I cry out to God,"please show me, reveal to me what you are doing. I don't want to miss out on your calling! I don't want to miss out on what you are doing!" I feel anxious and afraid.
Yesterday morning was like that for me. And AGAIN for the umpteenth time I heard God say to me, "Rest." Urg!!! I don't wanna rest! I said, "I am afraid that if I stay still I am going to miss out on the action; on what you are doing!" He said, "if you are running around, YOU ARE going to miss it." As I began getting ready for the day, God brought to my mind another word that He gave to me awhile ago. It was simply, "be ready." He never told me for what, and believe me, I asked! He simply responded to my question with, "just be ready." It made me think about the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. 5 were ready to meet the bridegroom and 5 were not. I asked myself the question- "Am I ready? Am I in the process of preparing myself or am I so caught up in the details of what it is, what it will look like, and if I will miss it that I am forgetting to get prepared?" This is when I started to think about my wedding and the one thing I would have changed - having my heart prepared to meet my love with great excitement and anticipation. I missed out on that, because I was bothered by details that ultimately did not matter.
I don't want to repeat that same mistake again. I want my heart to be ready. I want to be Mary and not Martha. (Luke 10:38-42)
My preperation should not revolve around the why, how, what, who or when. My preperation needs to revolve around Christ. Just as a bride's preperation should revolve around her true love; her bridegroom. I want you to picture this with me:
A beautiful young girl awakens on the day of her wedding. She lights out of bed and skips to the bathroom to shower. She picks out her favorite scented body wash and washes herself, excited to present herself to her love. After her shower, she dries herself off and lotions her body with scented oils and perfumes, hoping that her soon to be husband will be swept away by her beauty. She dresses herself in a beautiful white gown and sits with growing anticipation as her hair is combed, curled and elegantly styled. Her veil is gently put in place by her mother; its softness carressing her cheeks. Everything in place, she carefully steps back and gazes at herself in the full length mirror. Her breath is taken away by the vision she sees. Butterflies dance inside of her. She is giddy and filled with excited anticipation as she waits, prepared with eager expectation to see her one true love!
Just as a bride prepares herself for her bridegroom, so I must also prepare myself for Christ. I must wash myself with the word of God. Renewing my mind daily in His truth. (Romans 12:2, Eph. 5:26-27) I need to clothe myself in the armour of God and with the purity of His righteousness. (Eph. 6:10-18, Rev. 19:7-8) With everything in place, I will step back and gaze at myself through His eyes; my breath taken away by the vision I see. Butterflies dancing inside of me, giddy and filled with excited anticipation as I stand prepared, and waiting with eager expectation!
Romans 8:22-39
vs. 24-25 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
vs. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Isaiah 40:27-31
vs. 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Job: An Encounter with God
I ponder. A lot. And I have pondered the book of Job for a long time. I have never completely understood it. So this time, as I read through it, I asked God to please reveal to me what I have been missing about this book. A couple of days ago, as I finished reading, one verse popped off of the page at me. Job 42:5 says, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees thee; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."
I think there is more to the book of Job then God proving to Satan that Job would not curse God even if all of his blessings were taken away. I believe God was using this opportunity to have a personal encounter with Job. Here Satan was roaming around the Earth, looking to kick up hell somewhere, and God said, "have you considered Job?" It doesn't make sense to me that the God of this universe would really need to have a challenge with Satan to prove a point. God is more powerful than Satan. God knows this. Satan knows this. End of the contest. I believe God was up to something else, bigger than a dare. I am not saying that God did not use this to prove His power. He was proving and showing His power, not only to Satan, but also to Job.
Job was upright, blameless, and feared God. He revered Him. Job lived a life of obedience to God's law because he desired to honor Him. God picked Job, because He knew and understood Job's nature and his integrity. I believe God also picked Job, because He wanted to come face to face with Job. He wanted to reveal Himself to Job in a very personal way.
The first part of Job 42:5 says, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear". Job knew of God because he had heard about Him. Through hearing, Job had believed. He made a choice to walk away from sin and live in accordance to the law of God. The second part of the verse says, "but now my eye sees thee." Something changes in Job's relationship to God. The tragedies in Job's life, resulted in Job crying out to God . . . on a very personal level. God had been one to be revered and worshiped, but now God had brought Himself face to face with Job. Job never cursed God, but he did question God. He appealed to God and begged for relief. The doors were wide open for God to speak directly into Job's heart and his mind.
Romans 10:10 says,"for with the heart man believes,resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Job had believed in his heart which resulted in a life of righteousness. When Job confessed he found salvation and a personal relationship with God.
Isn't that what God does for us too? He allows opportunities in our lives so that He can have a personal encounter with us. He desires to be more then worshiped from afar. Jesus desires to be intimate with us. He desires to show us who He is. He desires a relationship.
I think there is more to the book of Job then God proving to Satan that Job would not curse God even if all of his blessings were taken away. I believe God was using this opportunity to have a personal encounter with Job. Here Satan was roaming around the Earth, looking to kick up hell somewhere, and God said, "have you considered Job?" It doesn't make sense to me that the God of this universe would really need to have a challenge with Satan to prove a point. God is more powerful than Satan. God knows this. Satan knows this. End of the contest. I believe God was up to something else, bigger than a dare. I am not saying that God did not use this to prove His power. He was proving and showing His power, not only to Satan, but also to Job.
Job was upright, blameless, and feared God. He revered Him. Job lived a life of obedience to God's law because he desired to honor Him. God picked Job, because He knew and understood Job's nature and his integrity. I believe God also picked Job, because He wanted to come face to face with Job. He wanted to reveal Himself to Job in a very personal way.
The first part of Job 42:5 says, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear". Job knew of God because he had heard about Him. Through hearing, Job had believed. He made a choice to walk away from sin and live in accordance to the law of God. The second part of the verse says, "but now my eye sees thee." Something changes in Job's relationship to God. The tragedies in Job's life, resulted in Job crying out to God . . . on a very personal level. God had been one to be revered and worshiped, but now God had brought Himself face to face with Job. Job never cursed God, but he did question God. He appealed to God and begged for relief. The doors were wide open for God to speak directly into Job's heart and his mind.
Romans 10:10 says,"for with the heart man believes,resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Job had believed in his heart which resulted in a life of righteousness. When Job confessed he found salvation and a personal relationship with God.
Isn't that what God does for us too? He allows opportunities in our lives so that He can have a personal encounter with us. He desires to be more then worshiped from afar. Jesus desires to be intimate with us. He desires to show us who He is. He desires a relationship.
Monday, May 23, 2011
I am His
I am His. I have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I have value and worth. I am His daughter; His princess. My worth does not hinge on my accomplishments, how well spoken I am, my talents, or what I do today. My worth is found in Jesus Christ. I do not have to gain my worth. It has already been given to me. I am His! If I fail, I am still His. If I fall, I am still His. He loves me in my weakness and becomes my strength. I do not have to prove anything to Him. He is my high priest and my advocate. All He desires from me, is me. He desires my relationship. He desires my heart and my love. He wants me! He wants all of me, just the way I am, pouring myself into Him. Head pressed against His chest, arms wrapped around Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, listening to Him, loving Him, communing deeper and deeper with Him, walking with Him. Not in front of Him, not behind Him, but beside Him. He is my portion forever and I will trust Him. He is the lifter of my head and in Him I will place my hope. He is my oasis in a dry and weary land. He is refreshment to my soul. I love Him!
And you, this is not just for me! This is for you too!
You are His. You have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You have value and worth. You are His daughter; His princess. Your worth does not hinge on your accomplishments, how well spoken you are, your talents, or what you do today. Your worth is found in Jesus Christ. You do not have to gain your worth. It has already been given to you. You are His! If you fail, you are still His. If you fall, you are still His. He loves you in your weakness and becomes your strength. You do not have to prove anything to Him. He is your high priest and your advocate. All He desires from you, is you. He desires your relationship. He desires your heart and your love. He wants you! He wants all of you, just the way you are, pouring yourself into Him. Head pressed against His chest, arms wrapped around Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, listening to Him, loving Him, communing deeper and deeper with Him, walking with Him. Not in front of Him, not behind Him, but beside Him. He is your portion forever. Trust Him. He is the lifter of your head. Put your hope in Him. He is your oasis in a dry and weary land. He is refreshment to your soul.
If you struggle with depression, low self-worth and value, please contact me. I want to be praying for you. If you do not know Jesus as your personal saviour, contact me. I want to tell you more about Him. He loves you! He desires you! So many years it has taken for me to understand my worth in Him. There is freedom from the bondage of depression and lack of self-worth. That is not His desire for you. He desires that you find rest in Him and a life of joy that is made complete in Him. Come to Him. Listen. He is calling your name.
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
And you, this is not just for me! This is for you too!
You are His. You have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You have value and worth. You are His daughter; His princess. Your worth does not hinge on your accomplishments, how well spoken you are, your talents, or what you do today. Your worth is found in Jesus Christ. You do not have to gain your worth. It has already been given to you. You are His! If you fail, you are still His. If you fall, you are still His. He loves you in your weakness and becomes your strength. You do not have to prove anything to Him. He is your high priest and your advocate. All He desires from you, is you. He desires your relationship. He desires your heart and your love. He wants you! He wants all of you, just the way you are, pouring yourself into Him. Head pressed against His chest, arms wrapped around Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, listening to Him, loving Him, communing deeper and deeper with Him, walking with Him. Not in front of Him, not behind Him, but beside Him. He is your portion forever. Trust Him. He is the lifter of your head. Put your hope in Him. He is your oasis in a dry and weary land. He is refreshment to your soul.
If you struggle with depression, low self-worth and value, please contact me. I want to be praying for you. If you do not know Jesus as your personal saviour, contact me. I want to tell you more about Him. He loves you! He desires you! So many years it has taken for me to understand my worth in Him. There is freedom from the bondage of depression and lack of self-worth. That is not His desire for you. He desires that you find rest in Him and a life of joy that is made complete in Him. Come to Him. Listen. He is calling your name.
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Held in the Palm of God's Hand
I have recently started reading a book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, which by the way, I would recommend for every woman to read. A good friend of mine suggested that I read it, and I have not regretted it yet. It has a quote in it that says, "But beneath it all, behind it all, is a simple truth: women dominate and control because they fear their vulnerability." and following it is the verse, Romans 14:23, "Whatever is not from faith is sin." Wow. Those are convicting words. And the truth. It got me started on a couple of days of "chewing the cud", so to speak.
God has spoken so much to me about rest and trust. It is a theme that does not leave me. Over and over and over again, He speaks to me about it. In the Bible, when God repeats something, it is because He really wants us to get it. I think that must be what is going on with me too. "Daughter, I want you to get this. I want you to understand. This is important." A couple of months ago, He gave me a phrase, Trust, Rest, Listen, Obey. This past week, He showed me how they all intertwine with each other. When we trust, we are able to rest. At rest, we are quiet and listening. And obedience, though difficult sometimes, is do-able, because we are trusting. What a beautiful cycle.
In order to rest in Jesus, we must trust Him. How can we truly rest, if we are constantly questioning and second guessing God's hand in our lives, the path He has placed us on, or the circumstances we are asked to walk through? Questioning is not resting. It is fighting, struggling, and grappling with the very hand that is desiring to hold us. It doesn't always feel like we are being held and protected, because of the discomfort that we may be in or the direction our lives are taking. When things don't make sense to us or are painful or are not going our way, our question always is, "If God really loves me then how could He allow this to happen to me?"
That question was answered so clearly for me the other day. I was standing in our kitchen with my son Colin. As I was talking to him, I noticed that he had been chewing his nails . . . again. I have talked to him about this before. This time, I felt I needed to be a bit more clear about teaching him to stop this bad habit. So, I told him that if the behaviour continues, he would loose his Wii privileges. As an afterthought I added, "Colin, we do not discipline you to be mean, but to help teach you. I would never do anything to you that would harm you." As soon as the words left my mouth, I could hear God rewind the tape and replay for me what I had just said to Colin. I can imagine a little smile played across His lips and a chuckle came out from the deepest part of His love for me. And He said, "I would never do anything to you that would harm you!"
I am an imperfect parent. If out of my imperfection and imperfect love for me son, I would teach him (knowing what is best for him whether he can see it or not), discipline him, and ask him to do something he does not want to do, then how much more would my perfect heavenly Father whose love for me exceeds anything I can ever imagine, not do for me what I need. How much more would He teach me, discipline me, and even ask me to walk through unpleasant circumstances, because He loves me with an everlasting love, knows exactly what I need before I ever ask Him, and sees the big picture and what is ultimately best for me!?!?!?
In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching His disciples about prayer. . . . "ask and it shall be given to you". Jesus talks to them about how a father will give to his child what the child needs and then He says in verse 13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?", Hebrews 12:4-11 (vs. 9-10) "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits , and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.", and James 1:12-17 (vs. 17), "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Jesus will always give us what is best for us. He loves us!
Mike Monson and Doug Schwartz have been sharing these ideas with us the last couple of weeks at Firm Foundation Ministries. Often the things that we go through, do not seem like they can possibly be coming from a loving heavenly Father, because they cause us pain, discomfort, or do not match up with our plans for our life. How could they possibly be from God? However, and here comes the cud that God gave me to chew on, if I believe, really believe, that God holds me in the palm of His hand, than how can I possibly believe that He is not in control of my life and my circumstances, no matter how unfortunate they feel to me. He is the PERFECT Father! He does not ask us to go through trials in order to harm us, but to bring us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), not to bring us death, but to bring us life, not to weaken us but to strengthen us.
Our response is what makes it or breaks it. Are we going to trust our heavenly Father to care for us? In everything, through every circumstance, through every pain and every trial? It is so easy to trust in joyful and prosperous times. We say, "see what God has done! He loves me! Look at how He has blessed me!" Are we going to trust, or are we going to beat against Him, fighting Him and cursing Him?
God is so good! After He shared this with me, He decided that it would be a good idea for me to apply these truths to my life :) God brought to my mind a very painful experience that I have been through, that I still question Him about, that I still have a hard time seeing the good in, or even how it is beneficial to me. He said, "If you believe what you wrote this morning, then that means . . . . this experience you went through was not out of My control. It means it was for your own good. It means I have a perfect plan even in this pain. It means this experience was good and not bad, not a mistake." Regurgitate and chew the cud again. Wow!
Trusting God, leads to rest. Resting in the fact that my God will supply all of my needs (pay close attention to the next part) ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES AND GLORY (Philippians 4:10-19), that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:6-11), He holds me in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-29), and He will never do anything or allow anything in my life that will harm me . . . . ever.
On a side note, Colin has not been biting his nails! :)
God has spoken so much to me about rest and trust. It is a theme that does not leave me. Over and over and over again, He speaks to me about it. In the Bible, when God repeats something, it is because He really wants us to get it. I think that must be what is going on with me too. "Daughter, I want you to get this. I want you to understand. This is important." A couple of months ago, He gave me a phrase, Trust, Rest, Listen, Obey. This past week, He showed me how they all intertwine with each other. When we trust, we are able to rest. At rest, we are quiet and listening. And obedience, though difficult sometimes, is do-able, because we are trusting. What a beautiful cycle.
In order to rest in Jesus, we must trust Him. How can we truly rest, if we are constantly questioning and second guessing God's hand in our lives, the path He has placed us on, or the circumstances we are asked to walk through? Questioning is not resting. It is fighting, struggling, and grappling with the very hand that is desiring to hold us. It doesn't always feel like we are being held and protected, because of the discomfort that we may be in or the direction our lives are taking. When things don't make sense to us or are painful or are not going our way, our question always is, "If God really loves me then how could He allow this to happen to me?"
That question was answered so clearly for me the other day. I was standing in our kitchen with my son Colin. As I was talking to him, I noticed that he had been chewing his nails . . . again. I have talked to him about this before. This time, I felt I needed to be a bit more clear about teaching him to stop this bad habit. So, I told him that if the behaviour continues, he would loose his Wii privileges. As an afterthought I added, "Colin, we do not discipline you to be mean, but to help teach you. I would never do anything to you that would harm you." As soon as the words left my mouth, I could hear God rewind the tape and replay for me what I had just said to Colin. I can imagine a little smile played across His lips and a chuckle came out from the deepest part of His love for me. And He said, "I would never do anything to you that would harm you!"
I am an imperfect parent. If out of my imperfection and imperfect love for me son, I would teach him (knowing what is best for him whether he can see it or not), discipline him, and ask him to do something he does not want to do, then how much more would my perfect heavenly Father whose love for me exceeds anything I can ever imagine, not do for me what I need. How much more would He teach me, discipline me, and even ask me to walk through unpleasant circumstances, because He loves me with an everlasting love, knows exactly what I need before I ever ask Him, and sees the big picture and what is ultimately best for me!?!?!?
In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching His disciples about prayer. . . . "ask and it shall be given to you". Jesus talks to them about how a father will give to his child what the child needs and then He says in verse 13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?", Hebrews 12:4-11 (vs. 9-10) "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits , and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.", and James 1:12-17 (vs. 17), "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Jesus will always give us what is best for us. He loves us!
Mike Monson and Doug Schwartz have been sharing these ideas with us the last couple of weeks at Firm Foundation Ministries. Often the things that we go through, do not seem like they can possibly be coming from a loving heavenly Father, because they cause us pain, discomfort, or do not match up with our plans for our life. How could they possibly be from God? However, and here comes the cud that God gave me to chew on, if I believe, really believe, that God holds me in the palm of His hand, than how can I possibly believe that He is not in control of my life and my circumstances, no matter how unfortunate they feel to me. He is the PERFECT Father! He does not ask us to go through trials in order to harm us, but to bring us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), not to bring us death, but to bring us life, not to weaken us but to strengthen us.
Our response is what makes it or breaks it. Are we going to trust our heavenly Father to care for us? In everything, through every circumstance, through every pain and every trial? It is so easy to trust in joyful and prosperous times. We say, "see what God has done! He loves me! Look at how He has blessed me!" Are we going to trust, or are we going to beat against Him, fighting Him and cursing Him?
God is so good! After He shared this with me, He decided that it would be a good idea for me to apply these truths to my life :) God brought to my mind a very painful experience that I have been through, that I still question Him about, that I still have a hard time seeing the good in, or even how it is beneficial to me. He said, "If you believe what you wrote this morning, then that means . . . . this experience you went through was not out of My control. It means it was for your own good. It means I have a perfect plan even in this pain. It means this experience was good and not bad, not a mistake." Regurgitate and chew the cud again. Wow!
Trusting God, leads to rest. Resting in the fact that my God will supply all of my needs (pay close attention to the next part) ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES AND GLORY (Philippians 4:10-19), that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:6-11), He holds me in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-29), and He will never do anything or allow anything in my life that will harm me . . . . ever.
On a side note, Colin has not been biting his nails! :)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Guarding My Sabbath
When I think about Sunday, I think of rest. I think of taking a nap, ceasing from work, and having time with the family. I think of all of the things that I should not do and should not HAVE to do. It often irritates me, if dishes need to be done or a load of laundry needs to be cared for. I don't want to do those things on Sunday! Partly, because of how I was raised but more so because I deserve at least one day of rest! Right?! I try to guard my Sunday's, though I often find something that is threatening my Sabbath - laundry, dishes, picking up the living room, or . . . . .
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
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